Search form

Main menu top level

Field GIS and Data Capture Tool

This service consists of both a mobile component designed for field use with mobile devices, and a web-based service to provide access to the collected information.

The mobile "app" allows users to view and edit GIS data in the field. It displays maps and provides navigation controls to pan/zoom and/or pinpoint your location through the device’s GPS. You can draw points, lines, polygons and add/edit data.

The mobile app will run on most modern devices, e.g. Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, etc. It is designed to work offline – once the map tiles and associated data are loaded for the area you are working with, there is no requirement for a continous internet connection in the field. While you are in the field the app will save data to the device’s local storage. Later, with an internet connection, you can upload data to the web-based server using WIFI or the cellphone network.

The web server provides access to the collected data using standard GIS protocols (WMS, WFS, KML, etc). This means you can immediately view and manipulate data with ArcMap, QuantumGIS and hundreds of other desktop applications which support these protocols. Additional interfaces provide the flexibility to integrate the data with other services and applications, and a web interface provides end users with access to the data directly through their browser.

The Field GIS and Data Capture Tool provides an alternative to specialised field GIS hardware and software. Of course, depending on the environment, not all handhelds will be appropriate for field work, but there is a range “ruggedized” and IP67-rated phones and devices coming on the market at a fraction of the cost of specialised field GIS equipment